Purpose

Research Purpose

Robots are recently growing popular with advances in
robotics. Therefore, requirements for robots are changing.
Industrial robots can operate with high accuracy and
repeatability. However, operating these robots is difficult
for people without technical knowledge or skill. Therefore,
personal robots that are easy for anyone, even older people,
to operate are anticipated. It is necessary for personal
robots to have new functions to live symbiotically with
humans. We then clarify the basic factors necessary for a
symbiotic relationship between humans and robots.

A lot of research has been conducted on robots with
human-like faces that can communicate with humans. We can
easily operate robots through communication. Some
researchers have studied robot-assisted therapy, which has
been evaluated according to questionnaire data. However,
evaluating human-robot interaction is difficult due to a
number of uncertain factors in human communication and the
variety of personalities.

Therefore, as a first step, we have been studying
interaction between rats, less sophisticated animals, and
robots. We clarify basic factors necessary for a symbiotic
relationship between rats and robots based on animal
psychology, which has contributed to clarifying human
psychology. We then have been conducting interaction
experiments between rats and robots. We hope our studies
contribute, as well as animal psychology, to clarifying the
factors necessary for the symbiosis between humans and
robots.